Director, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences

The University of Arizona (UA) seeks an energetic, visionary
and entrepreneurial leader to be the next director of the Norton School of
Family and Consumer Sciences (http://cals.arizona.edu/fcs/). Reporting to the
director, the school has three academic degree programs: Family Studies and
Human Development (FSHD), Personal and Family Financial Planning (PFFP), and
Retailing and Consumer Sciences (RCSC) with nearly 1,000 undergraduate
pre-majors/majors; and three multidisciplinary research, outreach, and
corporate engagement units: the Frances McClelland Institute for Children,
Youth, and Families; the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing; and the Take
Charge America Institute for Consumer Financial Education and Research; as well
as FCS Cooperative Extension. These supporting units play key roles in
translating research into practice while also attracting financial and
strategic partners and resources to the University.

The Norton School’s mission is to conduct transformational
research, teaching and outreach that helps to solve social problems, improve
the lives of individuals and families, and strengthen communities and the
marketplace. Our approach is applied and interdisciplinary, grounded in the
science of human behavior. Faculty and students routinely collaborate with both
internal colleagues (interdisciplinary, across campus) and external community
and industry partners. Community engagement is a core strength that builds our
knowledge base and guides translation of research insights into solutions for
practical problems, especially through Cooperative Extension and the school’s
center/institutes.

The Norton School aspires to national and international
recognition as a thought leader for both scholarship (generation of new
knowledge) and application of research knowledge to strengthen individuals,
families, communities and the marketplace to improve quality of life. The
Norton School Director must also share the faculty’s aspiration to national
prominence for their transformational degree programs that infuse research into
the classroom and utilize experiential learning to train students for
leadership roles in their fields.

The Director is the senior appointed academic administrative
officer of the Norton School. The Director reports to the Dean of the College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and will work collaboratively with four
Associate Deans, three other school directors, six academic department heads,
and other support unit heads within CALS to ensure the Norton School
contributes its share toward meeting the college and university strategic goals,
as well as the Arizona Board of Regents performance metrics. Familiarity with
the evolving UA strategic plan will be essential for developing, articulating
and executing the Director’s vision and leadership of the School. In accordance
with university policies, the Director will oversee all School activities,
including but not limited to the promotion of undergraduate and graduate
education, research activities, support of student and faculty, staff and
appointed personnel development/recruitment, management of all departmental
budgets, assignment of teaching, and faculty evaluation. The Director is
responsible for developing and strengthening the relationships with existing
partner institutions in the public and private sector; greatly expanding the Norton
School’s donor base and corporate connections. The Director must be an
effective strategist, entrepreneur, brand manager and implementer as well as
being an excellent personnel manager. The Director will decide how best to
maintain their own active research and/or teaching and/or extension programs.